Dispur: A young woman, Purnima Devi Barman, from Assam has been conferred the 'Nari Shakti Puraskar' by the President, Ram Nath Kovind, in New Delhi on International Women's Day, for her efforts in conserving the greater adjutant stork -- a bird on the brink on the verge of extinction.
Last year, she received the Whitley Awards, also known as the Green Oscars, from Princess Anne, who is the patron of the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN).
Adjutant stork are a rare species of birds, which were once common across the wetlands in south-east Asia, but are now classified as endangered. With only around 1,200 of these birds remaining today, 800 of them reside in Assam.
It was her immense love for the endangered species, locally known as the 'Hargila' in Assamese, which led 37-year-old Purnima on a crusade to save these birds.
"I landed in a village to do my PhD in 2008, but an incident changed my life and everything -- including my PhD -- took a backseat. Since then I have been working with people to protect the bird from extinction."
What was the incident that prompted her to alter her life path? "I saw a man cutting down a nesting tree and the baby birds were falling out of the nests. It was a very painful moment," said Purnima.
She formed the 'Hargila Army' that consists of a team of female conservationists dedicated to protecting the greater adjutant stork.
Together, Purnima and her army are on a mission to break down barriers and challenge pre-conceived notions regarding the adjutant stork, which is often neglected for its unconventional looks and messy activities. The greater adjutant is a scavenger bird and they mostly feed on garbage and rubbish dumps.
Twice a week, Purnima clambers up an 80-foot ladder to a bamboo platform. She sits for hours on end, to observe the birds that have given her life new meaning.
"It's all team work and I am working with communities to protect the endangered stork in Assam. I have also convinced the villagers of Dadara and Pachariya in Assam's Kamrup district to engage in conservation activities. Earlier, the villagers used to destroy the habitat areas of the scavenger bird," she said.
